Not many teams have what it takes to overcome an afternoon that sees the offense with five turnovers, but Texas A&M found a way. The Aggies lost four fumbles but still put up over 500 yards of offense in a 56-24 victory over Vanderbilt.
Johnny Manziel finished his day completing 25 of 35 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. This game marked the fifth time Manziel has passed for over 300 yards in a game this season and was his second straight game with four touchdowns thrown. Entering the day with a concern about his shoulder, Manziel quickly put those concerns to rest with a hot start in the first half.
Texas A&M has already been essentially removed form the BCS equation but they are still going to remain a bit of a factor in the SEC in the second half of the season. Few teams are able to pack the kind of offense this Texas A&M can on a weekly basis. As we have seen though, the defense is a bit of a setback for the Aggies. In this game though Texas A&M held Vanderbilt to 329 yards of offense and forced three turnovers, including a pick-six by Howard Matthews to open the second half. Vanderbilt was also held to just three third down conversions out of 14 and 95 rushing yards.
Texas A&M was good at fast starts in each half. Texas A&M took a 21-0 lead after the first quarter and outscored Vanderbilt again in the third quarter 21-0. The third quarter was huge for Texas A&M because it looked as though Vanderbilt had found some offense before halftime. The pick-six on the first play of the second half reset the momentum back in favor of the Aggies.
Texas A&M, now 6-2, has wrapped up postseason eligibility with the win and can now play the role of spoiler in the SEC. Texas A&M will not be heading to the sEC Championship but they can throw a hurdle up for any chance LSU may have and may be the last big threat remaining for Missouri on their way to Atlanta.